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intense - 5 dictionary results

in⋅tense

  [in-tens]
Use intense in a Sentence
–adjective
1. existing or occurring in a high or extreme degree: intense heat.
2. acute, strong, or vehement, as sensations, feelings, or emotions: intense anger.
3. of an extreme kind; very great, as in strength, keenness, severity, or the like: an intense gale.
4. having a characteristic quality in a high degree: The intense sunlight was blinding.
5. strenuous or earnest, as activity, exertion, diligence, or thought: an intense life.
6. exhibiting a high degree of some quality or action.
7. having or showing great strength, strong feeling, or tension, as a person, the face, or language.
8. susceptible to strong emotion; emotional: an intense person.
9. (of color) very deep: intense red.
10. Photography. dense (def. 4).
Origin:
1350–1400; ME < L intēnsus, var. of intentus intent 2 , ptp. of intendere to intend. See in- 2 , tense 1

Related forms:
in⋅tense⋅ly, adverb
in⋅tense⋅ness, noun

Synonyms:
2. fervent, passionate, ardent, strong.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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in·tense   (ĭn-těns')   
adj.   in·tens·er, in·tens·est
  1. Possessing or displaying a distinctive feature to an extreme degree: the intense sun of the tropics.
  2. Extreme in degree, strength, or size: intense heat.
  3. Involving or showing strain or extreme effort: intense concentration.
    1. Deeply felt; profound: intense emotion.
    2. Tending to feel deeply: an intense writer.

[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin intēnsus, stretched, intent, from past participle of intendere, to stretch, intend; see intend.]
in·tense'ly adv., in·tense'ness n.
Synonyms: These adjectives mean of an extreme kind: intense fear; fierce pride; vehement dislike; violent rage.

Usage Note: The meanings of intense and intensive overlap considerably, but they are often subtly distinct. When used to describe human feeling or activity, intense often suggests a strength or concentration that arises from inner dispositions and is particularly appropriate for describing emotional states: intense pleasure, intense dislike, intense loyalty, and so forth. Intensive is more frequently applied when the strength or concentration of an activity is imposed from without: intensive bombing, intensive training, intensive marketing. Thus a reference to Mark's intense study of German suggests that Mark himself was responsible for the concentrated activity, whereas Mark's intensive study of German suggests that the program in which Mark was studying was designed to cover a great deal of material in a brief period.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Intense

In*tense"\, a. [L. intensus stretched, tight, p. p. of intendere to stretch: cf. F. intense. See Intend, and cf. Intent, and cf. Intent, a.]

1. Strained; tightly drawn; kept on the stretch; strict; very close or earnest; as, intense study or application; intense thought.

2. Extreme in degree; excessive; immoderate; as: (a) Ardent; fervent; as, intense heat. (b) Keen; biting; as, intense cold. (c) Vehement; earnest; exceedingly strong; as, intense passion or hate. (d) Very severe; violent; as, intense pain or anguish. (e) Deep; strong; brilliant; as, intense color or light.

In this intense seclusion of the forest. --Hawthorne.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : intense
Spanish: intenso,
German: heftig,
Japanese: 激しい
More Translations »

intense 
c.1400, from M.Fr. intense, from L. intensus "stretched, strained, tight," originally pp. of intendere "to stretch out, strain" (see intend); thus, literally, "high-strung." Intensity formed in Eng. 1665 (earlier was intenseness, 1614); sense of "extreme depth of feeling" first recorded 1830. Intensify (1817) was first used by Coleridge, in place of intend, which was no longer felt as connected with intense.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Main Entry: in·tense
Pronunciation: in-'ten(t)s
Function: adjective
1 a : existing in an extreme degree <intense anxiety> b : extremely marked or pronounced intense itching and burning of the skin —H. G. Armstrong> c : very large or considerable<intense radiation>
2 a : feeling deeply especially by nature or temperament b : deeply felt <intense emotions> —in·tense·ly adverb
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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